Sets in my Collection #19 1940 Gum, Inc. Superman

I've written about this set before, as it was one of the first added to my collection after I started Cardboard History, and it was a set I had been wanting for a long time.

As I've mentioned a few times, I'm a lifelong comic reader, having my first DC Comic read to me at 5 days old...31 years later, I'm still reading comics, although drastically fewer than I once did, they still play a big role in my life.

Comic books in their current form debuted only in 1935, although some form of comic book dates back as far as 1796. The company that would become DC Comics was the first to publish new material in 1935, and in 1938's Action Comics #1, Superman would make his debut, changing the world of comics forever. The concept of super-heroes would become the driving force of comics, so much so that other topics have mostly gone by the wayside.

This card set came out in 1940, Superman was still new at this time. This is a 72 card set, and, as far as I know, is the first card set ever based on a comic book. There are still comic-based sets being produced today.

This set was high on my wantlist for many years, and I finally hunted down 3 cards in late 2014. Some of the cards are rare and expensive, I don't think I could afford to complete it. (cheaper than actual Superman comics from 1940, however!) The entire set was reissued in the 1990s, and my local dealer that I got these from has a set of the reprints. I should probably just break down and buy the reprints.

Since I have posted front and back scans of all three cards I have before, I will just post one of each now.

Editorial note: Not really in much of a writing mood, under a lot of stress here...I've alluded to it before, and now in addition I'm worried about family which lives in the direct line of Hurricane Matthew. So I figured it was a good idea to post one of the Sets in My Collection series...this post was written November 19th, 2015, so it's been in the queue for a while.